Jackie

Thanks Paul. I have had a look at volts on the terminals of the disjoncteur. The drop is as reported. Where do the two thick wires go after this, the consumer unit or some other part of the meter/AD TOO/Disjoncteur Differentiel unit as they don't seem to be the same colour as the wires coming into the consumer unit. The wires feeding the consumer unit are red and blue whereas the wires seen in the bottom section of the disjoncteur are black and blue. In other words where is the disjoncteur positioned electrically, on the incoming wires to the house or after the meter unit? I would be surprised if before as it would be too easy to bypass the meter! There is a lead seal on the top section of the disjoncteur but not on the bottom cover which I removed. I take your point about volts drop on the external line. We are at the end of this line with two other houses and I have not seen a transformer unit around here anywhere. Thanks for your reply........................................John 

Just thought I would ask on the chance that someone knows about the French digital electricity meter and differential trip units, and whatever else is in the box with the lead seals.  Whilst doing some wiring I noticed that the volts across the two tails coming into the consumer unit take quite a drop when a load is switched on in the house. About 5 volts for each 2 kilowatt load switched on. I find it difficult to believe that this is a drop caused by the current flowing through the overhead cables feeding the house though I suppose it is possible and we may be at the end of a very long line. The only other possibility is a drop in the meter/AD TOO/Disjoncteur Differentiel unit but that is also difficult to believe as with all those watts being dissipated you would have expected it to get rather hot and this does not happen! So what resistance could you expect between the incoming power cables and the feed to the consumer unit? I cannot get a voltage measurement across the incoming cables for obvious reasons. Any thoughts on how to identify the source of this drop anyone? We have a 9kVA supply………………………………………John not Jackie

I would agree that it may be too hot here, we are in Deux Sevres. They do not seem to set in the heat and often the flowers just drop off. Last year they came on again late in the year, when it had cooled down a bit and we got another crop. Misting does help but we are thinking of giving it a rest next year as the results have been a bit disappointing for the last four years. The French beans however are doing very well so it must be a climate thing! Our broad beans always do well but are finished well before it gets too hot. I have planted the runners in a shady spot this year but this has not made a significant difference so I guess it is an air temperature related problem and not just too much sun........................John not Jackie

Having grown shallots for the first time in our potager and having looked at lots of sites giving advice about harvesting, storing and drying etc, I note that the one piece of information missing is the time that must pass between the harvesting and the using of them. We have placed the shallots out in the sun for the last seven days and the tops have mostly gone brown so does this mean we can use them or do they need to mature a bit first. I guess you could ask the same question about onions.......................John and Jackie   

Tried hanging CDs on the cherry tree to keep the birds off the cherries and it sort of works but I noted that the "little sods next door" were also using them for target practice. I did not mind too much as I felt that it was better they shot at the CDs rather than the birds! However I would not be too keen on them firing at them when hanging in front of a large, expensive glass window so I will think a bit more about that! Thanks for the responses folks................John not Jackie 

Following advice we have hung silhouettes of birds of prey in front of our large véranda windows and still have to pick up corpses too frequently. It would seem that the birds, some quite large and it is surprising that a window has not yet broken, see reflections of greenery and sky and try to fly through. I think that we have caused the death of almost as many as the little sods next door with their air guns. Two thrushes this morning, so what other technique could we use to prevent these deaths and yet still be able to see out?................John and Marie  

If you only have a little then try painting on glyphosphate neat with a small brush or a large area can be sprayed using a diluted mix. Bricos have it under different names/labels, Roundup, Vimorin etc, and the cheapest just labelled Glyphosphate. Will take about a week to see a significant change if spraying, worked for us.................John not Jackie 

If it is of any comfort, you are not alone. We arrived in France four years ago and were met by a swarm of bees on the living room floor and in the insert. They come each year in late spring and go when we light the first fires of winter. The swarm comes through small holes in the chimney into the grenier when the first fire is lit, I have no option but to spray them which I hate doing. They seem to be impossible to get at being between the chimney liner and the chimney wall. I suppose a queen bee come back to the nest, somewhere near the top of the chimney, each year so we cannot have killed them all. My constant worry is that their nest could cause a fire when the liner gets hot but some have said that this is not likely. I have tried putting moth balls in the insert in summer but this has not stopped them from visiting the insert at the bottom of the chimney in large numbers where they die and form a stinking heap which needs to be vacuumed up at frequent intervals.........................John not Jackie 

Following on from an earlier posting of mine about well water and watering the veg plot, we have had the following analysis of our well water. Chemical content all well within safe norms except Nitrites being a little high 0.15 mg/l Norm <0.1. The bacteria content however is > 1000 germs /ml where the norm at 22 degrees is <100 and ditto at 37 degrees where the norm is <20. Coliforms at 150 / 100 ml where the norm is zero, no E. Coli and >200 Faecal Streptococcus where the norm is zero. Clostridium is 5 / 100ml where the norm is <2 and no salmonella. From what I have read the Coliforms are only indicators of water quality and are not dangerous in themselves. Accepting that salad crops and anything eaten uncooked would need careful washing, my question remains the same, do plants take up bacteria through their root system? Everything I have read so far would indicate not. So can I use this water for the veg plot. We use manure on the plot so what difference is there between this and using well water contaminated with animal waste? We have no intention of drinking the stuff but I could chuck some chlorine tablets down the well if this is needed but what effect would this have on the plants? I would be very grateful for any informed opinion or experience......................John not Jackie 

This year we have lots of very small black flying beetles everywhere. Shape like a ladybird but much, much smaller. They seem attracted to bright colours and are seen in their dozens inside the courgette flowers, runner bean flowers, on seat cushions and on our clothes. Are these friend or foe? Should we spray or not?...................John not Jackie

I don't know how true this is but a builder friend once told me that woodworm only goes in an inch at the most, consider the size of the main roof beams, and like to munch old wood rather than new. He also voiced the opinion that folks get all worked up about woodworm in the UK and that really one would have to live for many many years, like 100, before there was sufficient wood munched to cause concern. Mind you this house has stood for over 150 years and the beams are original with lots of evidence of worm whereas the chevrons and lattes were replaced in 1985 and no sign of worm in them yet. As I say I have no idea how true this is but it gives one some comfort...........John not Jackie

You could also look at http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=285&messageid=185734#bm186679 Gives details of traps we have used to catch 34 in the last two years, includes two this year so far and I know that there are more to come as I saw a couple sitting on the water heater tank in the cellar making faces at me yesterday!........John PS They are supposed not to like strong oily smells but cannot find creosote anymore.

Sugest you use SEARCH and have a look at http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=288&messageid=177420#bm177455 good luck with getting rid of them. John not Jackie

From what we have heard it may be a bit of a risk to let a farmer use your field as he may then have acquired rights over it after a time.  When we bought this house the previous owner had to get a letter signed by the farmer that had grazed sheep in our field saying that he gave up any such rights. We also find it a bit of a pain mowing the field at 8 litres of petrol and 2hrs minimum of time not to mention the wear and tear on the mower but the locals would not like the weeds propagating into their fields not to mention what might lurk in the long grass!..........................John not Jackie

You can order spares like bags and carbon brushes etc on-line from various places in the UK. We have used http://www.spares2go.co.uk/default.html a few times without problem though there will be a postage charge. I would avoid the UK socket to French plug adaptors as they are not really suitable for high current devices and get a bit hot! For things with lots of UK plugs on like computer systems you can get a multi socket distribution board with surge protection in the UK and then fit one French plug on the lead feeding it from the mains. We have found that live and neutral are not always on the same side as they are in the UK on French sockets but a neon screwdriver should tell you which way round a particular socket is wired though, as has already been said, for two wire devices this may not matter. If you have no knowledge of electrickery then you would be advised to consult an electrician, it only takes 30mA to send you on to the next world! Remember the old saying? "It's the volts that jolt, but it's the mils that kills."................John not Jackie

Sorry to be so slow in coming back to you on this but LF seems to take nearly two days to notify us of follow up posts at the moment! The trap is made of wire mesh and is semi-circular with a flat bottom. Picture of one (Nasse a rat 40cm) at http://www.univers-eleveur.fr/catalogue_online/pieges_rats.htm We got ours at E. Leclerc but I have seen them in many different shops around here in Deux Sevres. It has two sections with a falling trap door between them. The bait (fruit) is placed in the second section and there is a little door at the end of this second section to allow the placing of bait and the eventual release of the occupant. We caught our first one of the season this morning and it is now running around the woods some kilometres from here. I just hope that it was not a female with babies that will now starve! A bit early for that I think but we have heard some activity in the walls for the last two weeks! There is a French saying “To sleep like a loir” which refers to their long hibernation period. We have one trap in the grenier and another in the cellar. They can tunnel through the soft mortar that one often finds in these old houses and get through the smallest of spaces. In our case they dig down through the driveway next to the house and through the cellar wall! I have given up trying to block all the holes, as soon as you block one they dig another. They are about the size of a squirrel with a big bushy tail. You can see pics at http://www.glirarium.org/dormouse/photo/glis-glis.html Good luck with the trap and I hope that you catch some soon……………..John

They could be loir or Glis glis, the edible dormouse. We have these and there have been quite a few posts about them on both this site and the Total France Forum. We don't use poison as it might also kill the owls that prey on them and put our cats at risk! We catch them in a two section rat trap, the one with the falling door into the second chamber. This works well when baited with fruit, we use apple halves which they love. Caught 32 this way over the last two years and they are released back into the wild in a wood some kilometres away. Tried ultrasonics and no good, several people have had the same experience. Despite all this we still have stirrings in the walls at night but we have baited the traps again so you never know we might get lucky and get them all......................John not Jackie  PS Tried the foam filler but they go through that like a hot knife through butter, also tried mothballs and various sprays, no use at all!

Many thanks have asked them to contact us........John not Marie or Jackie!

The answer is read all you can about it and visit France staying in different areas to get the "feel" as it were. We are very happy here in Deux Sevres having looked at Brittany and the Lot and places in-between for a house. Working here may be a different thing and I will leave others to talk about that but for retirement it is just great as far as we are concerned. Quiet country existence with simple country pursuits, not for those who like the sophisticated night-life of a big UK city. Friendly people though it helps if you speak a little French to start with. Lots of Brits around if you want to hobnob with English speakers. Good health system and very little of the UK is missed or wanted now. We have not been back since we arrived and have little reason to though if you have family in the UK things may be different...............Good luck...........John not Jackie

Looks interesting, is there a web site for this one? I assume that you can install it yourself. Thanks for coming back on this..............I would also be interested if anyone has had experience of the hard covers that you roll up to one end  or any other type of hard cover that complies with the new safety regs...................John

As an alternative to expensive fencing we are considering the possibility of a hard/child proof cover for the pool. Has anyone any experiences with these, good or bad. How easy are they to put on and get off compared with a floating summer cover say, as we would have to put it in place anytime the pool was not in use. Links to info sites would be helpful...........Many thanks in anticipation.........John not Jackie

Assuming that we can still use well water for the veg plot and apologies if this has been asked before but does the well water need testing? I find it difficult to believe that anything nasty like bacteria or chemicals, other than the ones that it wants, could get into a potato, a broad bean or an onion say as I assume the plant root system would filter such things out but I am rather ignorant on such matters. Could anyone that knows about these things be good enough to respond as I don't want to poison ourselves nor do I want to pay out for a needless analysis. Someone has already suggested pumping the well out a few times first to get rid of accumulated chemicals etc but would this be enough. I am well aware that an analysis would be needed for drinking the stuff which we don't want to do................John not Jackie 

 Don't know it that well but pass through it a lot on the way to Niort. A bit close to the motorway but quite a few shops and, as said before, handy for Niort, St Maixent L'Ecole and the A10. Has a small market each week. One long strip (N11) and some private houses on each side of this. Seems to lack a centre but has quite a few shopping areas around it. Prefer St Maixent and La Motte, Melle and other local towns. Think that it has developed around the N11 and lacks an identity a bit but I don't know it that well. I would have a longer look if possible......................John not Jackie

You may not be allowed to use the well as it lowers the water table, this was true in 79 a couple of years ago I think, not sure at the moment ...........John not Jackie 

Are you sure that this is not just the present rules about not using mains water for this purpose during this "dry" period. We were told by the pool company that although we have a well not to use it in the pool under any circumstances. Top up is going to be a problem and the level in liner type pools should not be allowed to get too low we are told............John not Jackie